1. Technical Field
The disclosure generally relates to gates for deck railings and, more particularly, to a gates for porch or deck railings assembled from composite engineered lumber rails. Specifically, the disclosure relates to a gate that may be assembled from a gate kit and two sections of a wide variety of composite engineered lumber rails so that the assembled gate matches the deck railing.
2. Background Information
A variety of alternative lumber materials are currently available for outdoor decking. These materials include engineered lumber, vinyl lumber, and composite lumber. Wood-plastic composite materials are composite materials made of wood fiber (or similar) and one or more plastics. These alternative lumber products are particularly useful for exterior decking because they are more weather resistant than painted wood and require less maintenance throughout their lives. Other composite products use a composite inner section capped with a weather-resistant outer portion.
Most building codes require some type of safety railing to be placed about the circumference of a raised deck. One common type of safety railing includes a plurality of balusters disposed between top and bottom rails. The rails are disposed between support posts. The top and bottom rails are provided in a wide variety of different cross sections in order to give the customer different choices for the appearance of their deck railing.
The same building codes also require entrances and exits to the deck to be secured with gates; especially at the top of stairs. A gate is typically disposed between a pair of support posts and connected to one of the posts with hinges that allow the gate to open and close. Building custom gates for deck railings is relatively expensive and time consuming because the gates must be strong and durable. Deck installers usually build these gates from raw materials and have encountered difficulties in providing a strong, durable gate that has a desirable ornamental appearance. In order to increase the strength and durability of the gates, the deck installers often use materials that do not match the deck railing thus degrading the ornamental appearance of the deck railing. This frequently occurs when the deck railing is made from composite materials that are not as versatile as wood lumber or aluminum channels. Customers, and thus deck installers, desire a strong, durable deck gate that blends in with their deck by matching rail profiles and rail heights.